This trailer gives off a definitely Lucy vibe, which I know that some people will be happy about. Myself, I kind of viewed Lucy as being a missed opportunity that wasted one of the most iconic actresses of our age. Hopefully, Jolt will handle things a bit more successfully! If it doesn’t, I might just have to give up on action-packed sci-fi films that take place in all-white rooms.
Kate Beckinsale plays Lindy, who apparently can do all the thing that Kate Beckinsale did the Underworld films, except this time she’s fueled by a little spark as opposed to being a Death Dealer or whatever is was that was going on in Underworld. (Seriously, I’ve seen all of the Underworld films and I still couldn’t tell you what was going on in most of them.) As I’ve said in the past, I’m a huge Kate Beckinsale fan. I loved her as Selene and I will watch any movie that features her beating people up and using electrodes to torture the bad guys …. well, actually, I’m not a huge fan of torture. I’m definitely not a big fan of listening to people shriek in pain and beg for their lives. That’s just not for me. So, I’ll probably go get a Coke during those scenes. You know how that goes.
Anyway, Jolt will be released on Prime on July 23rd so we don’t have that long of a wait. Woo hoo!
I have to admit that my initial reaction to the trailer for Hotel Transylvania 4 was to say, “They’ve done four of these!?”
And it’s true. For an animated franchise that has never exactly been a critical favorite and which isn’t backed by PIXAR, there’s been quite a installments in the HotelTransylvania saga. Regardless of what the critics may think, the films do well enough at the box office. I’d be lying I said I could remember much about the previous few installments but I do recall that they were cute if not particularly ground-breaking.
The fourth film explores what happens when all the monsters get transformed into human beings. It’s a good look for Frankenstein but less so for Dracula. Adam Sandler, who voiced Dracula in the previous three films, does not return in this installment and he has been replaced by YouTuber Brian Hull. As well, Kevin James will not be returning as Frankenstein and has been replaced by Brad Abrell. Selana Gomez, however, does return to voice Mavis and the great Steve Buscemi will be back as Wayne the Werewolf.
Hotel Transylvania4 will be replaced on October 1st.
When I first heard that there was a film called Beckett due to be released in August, I assumed that it was a biopic of Samuel Beckett. I’m sure that you did as well. I was definitely looking forward to seeing how much time the film would devote to the writing and original production of Waiting for Godot.
Well, it appears that I’m going to have to wait a while for that film because this Beckett is actually an action thriller, starring John David Washington as an American tourist in Greece whose girlfriend (Alicia Vikander) goes missing after a devastating car accident. The trailer is smart enough not to reveal too much of the story, beyond the fact that Washington is going to spend a lot of the film running and being shot at. It also appears that there might be a bit of a political subtext to this film. Myself, I’m just hoping that this film will be a better showcase for Washington’s talents than Malcolm & Marie.
The trailer makes sure to point out that Beckett was produced by Luca Guadagnino. I still haven’t forgiven Guadagino for remaking Suspiria but I’m sure that his involvement will be a selling point for some people. That said, Guadagino did not direct the film, which should be evident by the fact that Alicia Vikander plays the missing girlfriend and not Dakota Johnson. Instead, this film was directed by Guadagino’s former partner, Ferdinando Cito Filomarino. Cito Filomarino also did second unit work on the Suspiria “remake” so …. well, I will try not to hold it against him. I just hope Beckett’s good!
It’s the end of the month and that means that it’s time for me to post my monthly predictions!
What has chanced since I last made my predictions in May? Though it was acclaimed by critics, the box office failure of InTheHeights has probably ended that film’s time as an Oscar contender. For all the musicals that are coming out this year, only Spielberg’s WestSideStory really seems like a good bet to emerge as a major contender. DearEvanHansen was pretty much eliminated from consideration as soon as its trailer dropped. Tick, Tick….Boom seems to be destined to be loved by theater kids while being dismissed by everyone else. I’d love to see Joe Wright and Peter Dinklage nominated but my instincts are telling me that Cyrano will probably not be a huge contender. In the end, WestSideStory seems like the most likely musical nominee.
I’ve been reading up on Jane Campion’s ThePoweroftheDog, which is set to premiere at Venice and then be released via Netflix. Based on a novel by Thomas Savage, this sounds like the type of film that could potentially be a strong contender, depending on what approach Campion takes the story. The main character of Phil Burbank is the type of bigger-than-life role that could lead to Oscar glory. (The closest recent equivalent to Phil would probably be Daniel Day-Lewis in ThereWillBeBlood.) Phil is a sharply intelligent but cruelly manipulative Montana rancher, the type who brags about castrating cattle while quoting Ovid and who goes out of his way to bully anyone who he considers to be effeminate. Of course, there’s a secret behind all of Phil’s cruelty and how the film handles that secret will have a lot to do with how strongly the film comes on during awards season. Phil is being played by Benedict Cumberbatch, which is …. interesting casting. (Personally, I probably would have begged Michael Fassbender to take the role.) Still, it seems like Phil could be the type of change-of-pace role that, should Cumberbatch’s casting pay off, could lead to Oscar glory.
Coming up in July, we’ve got Cannes and we’ll be getting our first look at contenders like Wes Anderson’s TheFrenchDispatch. Though Cannes is hardly a reliable precursor, the Oscar race should start to become a bit clearer as the festival start up and the contenders — many of which we’ve been waiting to see for over two years — will finally start to be released. Until then, take all predictions with a grain of salt!
If you’re curious to see how my thinking has developed, check out my predictions for March and April and May.
The Many Saints of Newark, which is finally going to be released on October 1st after being delayed by the pandemic, is a prequel to The Sopranos. It features Tony Soprano as a teenager, struggling to decide between entering the family business or going to college and — if The Test Dream episode is to be believed — maybe becoming a teacher or a coach. That’s a big decision for anyone to make. Of course, since The Many Saints of Newark is a prequel, we already know that’s going to happen. That’s kind of the problem with prequels. You can drag out the story for as long as you want but, eventually, you’re going to reach the point where everyone originally came in.
As you may have picked up on, I’m not totally sure that this film is really necessary. As I say this as someone who loves TheSopranos and who is planning on rewatchinng the entire series later in July. Thanks to the show’s use of flashbacks and the scenes of Tony talking to Dr. Melfi, it’s not as if we don’t already know about Tony’s childhood. I’m not sure that there’s a lot for the prequel to show us, beyond maybe clearing up who was actually responsible for the death of Dickie Moltisanti. If Tony ends up killing Dickie, it’ll cast his later treatment (and murder) of Christopher into an entirely new light.
Still, I’m definitely going to watch The Many Saints of Newark when it’s released on October 1st. Vera Farmiga as Livia Soprano seems like perfect casting and I’m also interested in seeing how Michael Gandolfini does at playing the young version of the character made famous by his father, the much-missed James Gandolfini. Apparently, Billy Magnussen will be playing the youngish version of Paulie Walnuts. In what world does Billy Magnussen grow up to be Tony Sirico? Ray Liotta also has a role in The Many Saints of Newark, which feels appropriate considering how much The Sopranos owed to the success of Goodfellas.
The trailer for The Many Saints of Newark was released today. And here it is:
The 1976 film, LiveLikeACopDieLikeAMan, takes place during the Christmas season.
We know this because the film opens with a man dressed like Santa Claus standing on a street corner in Rome and impotently watching as a woman is dragged behind a motorcycle by two men who were attempting to snatch her purse. When she doesn’t let go of her purse, one of the men hops off the motorcycle and proceeds to kick her in the face until she stops moving. Suddenly, two other men — our heroes, as it were — came driving up on a motorcycle of their own. A chase ensues, through the streets of Rome, during which a blind man’s dog is graphically run over. The chase which, it must be said, is very well-shot and directed, lasts for over 10 ten minutes and it ends with the two thieves being executed by, once again, our nominal heroes.
A lot of people are executed over the course of LiveLikeACop, DieLikeAMan. That’s because Detectives Fred (Marc Porel) and Tony (Ray Lovelock) have been given a license to kill anyone who breaks the law. The film is a bit vague on just how exactly the license works and why, apparently, it’s only been given to Fred and Tony. One major set piece features several dozen cops all waiting outside a house, powerless to get the three criminals within, until Fred and Tony arrive. Fred and Tony, of course, solve the problem by killing everyone. Why couldn’t the other cops have done that? The film doesn’t really make that clear.
Admittedly, Fred and Tony aren’t the first movie cops to get results through unorthodox means. TheFrenchConnection was a popular film in the 70s and it inspired a whole genre of Italian rip-offs, of which LiveLikeACopDieLikeAMan is a definite example. What sets Fred and Tony apart from cops like Popeye Doyle and Dirty Harry is the amount of joy that Fred and Tony seem to get out of killing people. Early on, they show up at a party and proceed to set all of the cars on fire. They also set two criminals on fire, with Fred doing a happy little dance as the two men go up in flames. It’s disturbing but there’s also a strange integrity to the film’s shameless embrace of violence. LiveLikeACop, DieLikeAMan doesn’t pretend to be about anything other than satisfying the vigilante fantasies of its audience.
And indeed, it should be considered that LiveLikeACop, DieLikeAMan was released during the so-called Years of Lead, when a combination of political terrorism and open crime had made violence an almost daily part of Italian life. When you’re living day-to-day with the knowledge that you could be blown up at any minute by the Red Brigade, the OrdineNero, or the Mafia, I imagine that there would be something appealing about watching two young men who are perfectly willing to just shoot anyone who appears to be up to no-good. It’s easy to imagine that, for audiences in 1976, the random violence of this episodic film mirrored the random violence of everyday life. Though LiveLikeACop, DieLikeAMan was obviously inspired by TheFrenchConnection, it perhaps has more in common with the original DeathWish, with the main difference being that LiveLikeACop’s vigilantes are officially sanctioned.
The film also places a good deal of importance on just how close Tony and Fred are supposed to be. They live together in a ramshackle flat, they apparently spend all of their free time together, and, towards the end of the film, the only thing that keeps the two of them from taking part in a threesome is the sound of someone else being shot. Unfortunately, Ray Lovelock and Marc Porel did not get along in real life and, as a result, there was never a LiveLikeACopDie Like A Man Part II. LiveLikeACop would also be director Ruggero Deodato’s only stab at the polizieschi genre. He went on, of course, to direct CannibalHolocaust and TheHouseon the Edge of the Park. (Interestingly, Tony and Fred’s relationship is mirrored, to sinister effect, by the relationship between the characters played by David Hess and Giovanni Lombardo Radice in HouseOn The Edge of the Park.) LiveLike A Cop, Die Like A Man has gone on to become a bit of a cult film and, as offensive as some will find it to be, it’s also so over-the-top in its violence and its celebration of officially sanctioned bad behavior that it becomes rather fascinating to watch. It’s so without shame or apology that it’s hard to look away from it, even though you may want to.
The trailer for Halloween Kills was released yesterday and it was greeted with a fairly positive reaction on twitter. A lot of people commented on the fact that Michael appears to be extremely angry in this trailer which …. I don’t know. I’ve always felt that Michael’s come across as being pretty angry, or at least that’s been the case ever since the first sequel. In Carpenter’s original film, Michael just come across like a soulless manchild playing an elaborate and deadly prank. But in every film since then, he’s come across as being someone who definitely has some anger at the world. Don’t even get me started on the version of the character who appears in the Rob Zombie films. You don’t kill Danny Trejo unless you’re pissed off about something.
All that said, Michael certainly does kill a lot of people in the trailer below. I guess that’s a good thing. In the past, I’d probably comment on how intense the kill scenes look but I have to admit that, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a little bit less enthused by graphic violence. Maybe it’s just the mood I’m in right now. By the time October comes around, I’m sure I’ll be more enthusiastic about watching the elderly get murdered. We’ll see.
Halloween Kills is set to be released on October 15th of this year and here is the trailer!
4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.
115 years ago today, Billy Wilder was born in what was-then Austria-Hungary and what is today Poland. Having started his film career as a screenwriter in Germany, Wilder fled to the United States after the rise of Hitler. (Many members of Wilder’s family would subsequently die in the Holocaust.) He went on to establish himself as one of the great studio directors, a filmmaker who could seemingly master any genre and whose films were often distinguished by an irreverent wit and a welcome skepticism when it came to accepting any sort of conventional wisdom. He made the type of films that could only be made by someone who had seen humanity at its worst but who also understood what people were capable of at their best. Wilder made dramas that could make you laugh and comedies that could make you cry. He was a master filmmaker, one whose work continues to influence directors to this day.
Today, in honor of Billy Wilder’s legacy, the Shattered Lens presents….
4 Shots From 4 Billy Wilder Films
Double Indemnity (1944, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: John Seitz)
Sunset Boulevard (1950, dir by Billy Wilder, DP; John F. Seitz)
The Apartment (1960, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: Ernest Laszlo)
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970, dir by Billy Wilder, DP: Christopher Challis)
Today is an unofficial holiday for everyone who loves a good cult film because the one and only Bruce Campbell is 63 years old today! Whether he’s battling Deadites or making a cameo appearance in a Coen Brothers film or just being himself, it’s impossible not to love Bruce Campbell. In many ways, he epitomizes everything that people love about the movies. He’s a good actor, he’s a good storyteller, and — perhaps most importantly — he’s smart enough not to take himself too seriously.
In honor of Bruce Campbell’s birthday, here’s one of his best moments. From ArmyoftheDead, it’s the Battle of the S-mart. Hail to the king, indeed.
Last night, as I sat down to watch the 1987 Canadian film, BlueMonkey, I found myself singing a song in my head:
How does it feel When you treat me like you do And you’ve laid your hands upon me And told me who you are?
I thought I was mistaken And I thought I heard your words Tell me, how do I feel? Tell me now, how do I feel?
Unfortunately, it turned out that the only thing BlueMonkey had in common with the classic New Order song, BlueMonday, was an enigmatic title. Just as the song never really mentions anything about Monday, BlueMonkey does not feature a single monkey. One minor character does mention having a dream about a monkey but, otherwise, there are no monkeys in the film. Speaking as someone who believes that almost any film can be improved the presence of a monkey, I was disappointed.
(Seriously, Nomadland would have been a hundred times better if Frances McDormand had a pet monkey.)
What BlueMonkey does have is a lot of blue. The characters wear blue shirts and some wear blue uniforms. Another wears a blue hat. The film takes place in a hospital where almost all of the walls are painted blue. Even worse, the majority of the film’s scenes are saturated with blue lighting.
Here’s just two screenshots:
Seriously, some scenes were so blue that I was reminded of John Huston’s decision to suffuse ReflectionsinaGoldenEye with the color gold. Personally, I think Huston made a mistake when he did that with Reflections but I can still understand the reasoning behind the decision and I can see what Huston was attempting to accomplish. The blue in BlueMonkey feels like a distraction, as if someone realized, on the day before shooting, that the title didn’t make any damn sense. “We’ll just make the whole movie blue!”
The problem, of course, is that the film goes so overboard with the blue lighting that it actually becomes difficult to look at the screen for more than a few minutes. I had to keep looking away, specifically because all of those blue flashing lights were starting to make me nauseous and were on the verge of giving me a migraine. At times, the image is so saturated in blue that you literally can’t make out what’s happening in the scene. Of course, once you do figure out what’s happening, you realize that it doesn’t matter.
BlueMonkey takes place in a hospital. A handyman has been having convulsions after pricking his finger on a plant that came from a mysterious island. Perhaps that’s because a mutant larvae is now using his body for a host. The larvae eventually develops into a giant grasshopper — NOT A MONKEY! — who stalks around the hospital and kills a few people. The Canadian government is threatening to blow up the hospital unless something is done about the blue grasshopper.
It’s a Canadian exploitation film but Michael Ironside isn’t in it so it somehow feels incomplete. That said, John Vernon plays a greedy hospital administrator and it’s fun to watch him get irritated with everyone. A very young Sarah Polley has an early role as an annoying child. There’s actually several children in this film and you’ll want to throw something at the screen whenever they show up, that’s just the type of film this is. (Some of my fellow movie-watching friends were actually upset that the children survived that film. I wouldn’t go that far but I still found myself hoping John Vernon would tell them all to shut up and let the adults handle things.) Susan Anspach plays a doctor, showing that anyone can go from FiveEasyPieces to Canadian exploitation. The film’s nominal star is Steve Railsback, playing a cop who comes to the hospital to check on his wounded partner and who ends up on grasshopper duty. Steve Railsback has apparently said that he’s embarrassed to have appeared in this film. Consider some of the other films that Steve Railsback has appeared in and then reread that sentence.
In the end, BlueMonkey doesn’t add up too much. There’s no Michael Ironside. There’s no monkeys. There’s just a lot of blue.
Through the Shattered Lens 